The Shadow Woods
by Tenebrae Vesper
Summary: Ellen knows that something has been following her for her whole life, but everyone dismisses it as nonsense. When her friend Linda disappears and bodies of other victims start to appear, she decides to uncover the truth. Something is lurking in the woods, waiting, as the myth becomes reality… He's watching…
1. The Last of Us

Hello everyone! I have already written two Slender fics, but one was a parody (a childish one) and the other a crossover (which I'm not really satisfied with, but it was ok, I guess). So yeah, instead of that, I decided to go for something more dramatic and horrifying.

Before I start, I'd like to inform you that the Slender Man in this fic is actually a mix of the original mythos (along with several real world legends) and the new mythos (mostly seen in games like Slender: The Eight Pages and various web series like Marble Hornets). If you still don't get it, check the Slender Wiki.

Anyways, this is the intro _i_ _n medias res,_ I guess.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Note 0**

 **The Last of Us**

She was running.

The fallen branches cracked beneath her feet, the slippery leaves only making it harder for her to run. She barely kept her balance, but at least the path became somewhat clearer. However, she was finding no relief. She didn't dare to look back during her escape, but the cracking and squeaking noises made her glance.

Her hazel brown eyes widened as she saw tree roots lifting and branches lowering. It was moving.

THE TREES WERE MOVING!

''What the hell?!'' She yelled in surprise, dodging a branch which almost hit her head.

The greenery was moving behind her, forming lumps on the ground. She jumped over a tree root as it rose up and heard a 'thud' sound as it fell.

''This is crazy…'' She bit her lip.

Another pair of roots slithered like snakes below her, forming a knot. She managed to jump over them though. It felt more like those tree roots weren't really part of trees, but more like tentacles. They even had a strange black-brown color.

Too familiar for her taste.

She put her arms in front of her, feeling the smaller and sharper branches cutting her skin. At least they didn't gouge her eyes out. While one hand was empty, the other was clutching a note. She wasn't sure who wrote it, but it the one who was chasing her may be the one who wrote it.

She didn't know. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to know. All she wanted is to get away from the monster that was chasing her.

''Ack…'' She yelped as she almost tripped, grabbing one of the lowered branches to get her balance back. She gritted her teeth as she felt it cutting the skin on her palm, but it was still worth it.

Her palm was now bleeding, droplets falling onto the grass and tainting it red. The color was dark though… just as dark as the forest inside which she was.

Looking up, she did see a light. A clearing! Her heart jumped as she realized that she could escape now. She ran faster.

Her expression went from joy to pure despair as she realized she was in front of a small valley. There was a high cliff in front of her, too steep to climb. She was trapped in that clearing. She knew she could try to climb it, but she would probably fall and break her neck. Or she could turn around and run back into the forest.

That also meant facing the monster which was chasing her.

Neither of the ideas sounded good, but she had no choice. She had to survive.

She turned around, her eyes widening in fear.

It was here. Watching her with a blank expression. A white, mask-like expression, showing no face features. It's clothes were covered in blood.

She knew it was the blood of this monster's previous victims and she was going to become the next one.

She didn't dare to breathe.

The monster in front of her moved towards her. She could see that, on the edge of the forest, vines and branches were moving away, clearing the path.

She looked back at the person in front of her. Could she really call it a person? To her, a person wasn't some monstrous killer.

She gasped as it ran towards her.

She screamed as the note fell out of her hand. On it stood one word.

 **REVENGE**

Below the word was a scribbling of tall slender faceless man-like figure with tentacles spreading from it's back.


	2. I Hate Them

Thanks folks for the reviews.

I just hope I'll manage to keep the horror factor up. :D

Anways, here's the first actual chapter. I think the title should already give away what kind of story this will be. Also, I'm sorry if it feels a bit rushed. This is merely an introduction chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Note 1**

 **''I Hate Them''**

''El-…''

''El-len…''

''Ellen!''

''Agh!''

Ellen Blake shot up as she looked around. It took a bit for the 15 year old brunette to figure out why the place was so familiar.

''Were you even listening?''

Ellen turned her head to the source, realizing, much to her own horror, it was her teacher, Mrs. Hammond. She looked furious, but it seemed that the reason for the anger was the fact that Ellen, once again, fell asleep during class.

''Maybe a little walk on the fresh air will clear your mind.'' Mrs. Hammond pointed at the door. Ellen quickly shook her head, her grey eyes wandering around. She noticed the grins on her classmates' expressions. Some were chuckling. They were quite happy that she got into trouble.

''Then perhaps you could solve this task.'' Mrs. Hammond pointed at the blackboard. Ellen gulped. Honestly, maths was never her forte.

 _''Geez, this'll be a long day.''_ She sighed.

 **xXx**

''I really hate my life.'' Ellen grumbled as she made her way to her locker. She already was the black sheep in the school staff's eyes (well, at least in Mrs. Hammond's), even though the only stuff she ever did was arguing with other classmates and falling asleep during class – and both had very good reasons why.

For one, she was basically everyone's target. Almost every day, she'd be some bully's victim while having no idea why people were picking on her. Perhaps she was the weakest one in school, although she doubted that. She knew that despite her tall and skinny appearance, she could still kick ass. The only reason why she didn't was because people would accuse her of starting it and she'd be the one to get into trouble.

She tried to reason with her bullies, but they wouldn't listen. She tried to explain the teachers what she was going through and when they would investigate what was going on, the bullies would accuse her of lying and teachers would tell her to stop saying nonsense. It was even worse considering some of the bullies were their favorite students. Of course, most of the staff would just ignore it or tell her to reason with the bullies. They couldn't help her and they would not help her. Ellen sometimes wondered if they would care if she just dropped dead.

Speaking of dropping dead, she was tired as hell. She suffered from insomnia, which often caused her to sleep during classes. The school nurse suggested her to take some sleeping pills, but Ellen refused. She knew what would happen at home if her father saw whatever tiny white pills she had, even if they were completely harmless and she knew what she was doing. Talking about irony, as her own father was a heavy alcohol addict.

''Ouch!'' Ellen yelped as somebody ''accidentally'' hit her with a book by dragging it over her head.

''Oh, sorry.'' A blonde-haired girl from her class, Brooke, said as she looked at Ellen rubbing the back of her head. She held up her schoolbook at the height of her head. ''We were just messing around and you were in our way.''

''Yeah.'' A burly guy, Elliot, walked up next to Brooke.

Ellen merely glared at them.

''Com'n, are you mute or deaf or something?'' A guy, Josh grinned as he joined his friends. He was shorter than Elliot and not as muscular as his friend, but he wouldn't want to miss the chance to bully Ellen.

''Her parents probably dropped her on the head.'' Another girl, Melissa piped in, causing the group to laugh.

 _''Ignore them, ignore them, ignore them…''_ Ellen repeated in her head, her head low. She tried to get away, hoping that they would give up.

''Hey, don't ignore us-!''

Elliot attempted to grab Ellen's arm, but she managed to kick him in the knee and quickly backed away. Considering how she hated to be touched, it was like a reflex to her.

''Ow, you little…''

''Ellen!''

Ellen turned her head around as somebody grabbed her arm. She was greeted by a smiling Linda Rockwell, her best friend since childhood. The black-haired teen then looked at the rest of the group with her warm, emerald eyes.

''Say, what were you guys doing?'' Linda asked.

''Oh, hi Linda!''

Much to Ellen's annoyance, all four instantly dropped their aggressive behavior, acting like what happened was just a friendly chat. Being from a wealthy and well-respected family, Linda was rather popular in class. She was quite nice and friendly, other than the reserved Ellen. Still, what nobody could figure out was why she would hang out with an outcast like her. Neither did Ellen, but she figured that, considering the two were friends ever since Linda's family moved to the small town of Arbor, Linda would always stick with her. And boy, she did. Ellen guessed the only reason why she wasn't bullied in front of her was because people wanted to get into Linda's good graces.

''Nothing in particular, just messing around.'' Brooke replied. ''Say, do you want to go out tonight, with us?''

''No.'' Linda shook her head. ''My parents are back from their trip and we'll have family dinner together.''

Ellen felt Linda's tight grip around her arm getting tighter.

''Ellen's of course invited.''

Ellen noticed the four frowning. Even though Linda was basically friends with everyone, only Ellen had the privilege to be invited to Linda's home. She once overheard Brooke suggesting Linda to throw a party when she told everyone that her parents went on one of their business trips. Linda did… and invited only Ellen. The latter was still laughing days later when she saw the dumbfounded expressions of the others after Linda told them she had a huge party and she and Ellen had a good time. She guessed that their envy of her was one of the reasons why they liked bullying her so much.

''Anyways, I guess we should hurry up…'' Linda's grip tightened around Ellen's arm, dragging her out.

''But it's not even dinnertime…'' Ellen gave an awkward smile, wincing as she felt Linda's nails driving into her skin, even though she wore a shirt and a jacket over it.

''Who cares!''

Nobody knew, however, that there was more than friendship that kept those two sticking together.

 **xXx**

''I'm really excited! You are coming for dinner, right?'' Linda asked.

''Sure thing!'' Ellen grinned. She then frowned. ''Dad's probably gonna spend the whole night at the bar…''

''Well, how about sleeping over at my place?'' Linda stepped in front of her.

''Again? I mean, I was at your place just a few days ago?'' Ellen replied, a bit surprised.

''No biggie! My parents won't mind having you around. After all, they tell me how they see you like a second daughter.'' Linda replied.

''Feels like we've been there before…'' Ellen muttered.

Truth was that yes, she indeed did spend more time at Linda's place than at her own. Even though she didn't show it, she did envy Linda for her perfect life. She was wealthy, well-cared, had nice parents, was popular in school and would get everything what she wanted. Yet, it surprised her how nice she was. Somebody would expect Linda to turn into a spoiled brat, but instead, she hanged out with Ellen and would often share stuff with her or offer help and advice whenever needed.

Ellen felt like she had the perfect friend, a friend she didn't even deserve. Her own life was quite a mess and breaking more and more apart the more days passed. Linda's help was like an escape ladder, where she would be brought to safety.

Although, Ellen knew what people were calling her behind her back. She knew they were accusing her of using Linda's nice and caring nature, even though it was completely untrue. Ellen and Linda knew very well that they could trust each other with their own lives. Linda often called it their special bond, a bond which would defy death, and while Ellen would often laugh with her about it, sometimes she was worried that all those accusations might be true.

''So, how's your insomnia?'' Linda asked.

''Oh, I'm okay. I got to sleep at school, after all.'' Ellen joked.

''Mrs. Hammond didn't look really happy. I think she should find herself a hobby instead of giving us so much homework to do for her.'' Linda said.

''Well, that's school.'' Ellen replied.

''Still, they're always nitpicking when it comes to you…''

''Maybe because I tend to fall asleep at classes?''

''But it's not your fault! Geez, if I had to live with your father, I wouldn't be able to sleep either.'' Linda replied. ''No offense!''

''Oh, don't worry. I'm not offended.'' Ellen replied. ''But yeah, considering how my father is…''

Well, truth was, she didn't really blame her father on her insomnia. While he tended to break into her room and scream at her for no reason, he was usually out of the house for most nights, either at the bar or working night shifts.

There was actually another reason why she had trouble sleeping, but she never told anyone what it was. No one would believe her either and she felt it was only her concern, not someone else's.

''So, we'll see each other at 7 PM?'' Ellen asked as they came to a crossroad. Her house was very close to the woods, just down the street they were going to. Linda's however, while it was near the woods, it was still closer to the town suburbs.

''Just like usual! I can't wait for it!'' Linda squealed, pulling Ellen into a tight hug.

''Egh, Linda?'' Ellen called her out awkwardly.

''Nah, nah, it's Lindy, Elly.'' Linda said with a reassuring tone.

''Well, okay, Lindy, could you let me go?'' Ellen asked.

''Sure! Sure!'' Lindy happily let her go.

''Um, what was that for?'' Ellen rubbed the back of her head. ''I mean, we _are_ gonna see each other this evening.''

''I know, I know, but perhaps your father won't allow you to come. And what would I do with my best friend?'' Linda asked.

''Well, Linda-''

''Lindy!''

Ellen winced as Linda interrupted her with a sharp tone.

''Anyways, Lindy, I promise I'll come.'' Ellen replied.

''Thank you, Elly!'' Linda smiled. ''See ya, Ellen!''

''See ya too.'' Ellen muttered as she watched her friend go to her own house.

She sighed. Being a best friend was sure exhausting, but Ellen was already used to Linda's quirky personality. Sometimes she would just hug her or hold her hand for no reason other than making sure she would keep her promise or to assure herself that Ellen was alright. She even gave both nicknames and would sometimes call her Elly, insisting that Ellen calls her Lindy. While Ellen thought the nicknames were kinda cute, she once told Linda that she associated the nickname with the game ''Ellie, Help Me Out, Please'', since they sounded similar. Linda, being her quirky self, assured her that there was no way she was crazy or psychotic like the girl in the horror game, but Ellen sometimes felt that she was just one good blow away from completely losing it.

She took a deep breath, looking down the road which was leading to her own house. At the beginning, it was still asphalt and the clearings next to the road were well-trimmed. However, as she slowly walked closer and closer to her house, bushes and trees were slowly taking over the well-trimmed grass, the road becoming gravel. When she was a kid, a lot of kids from her neighborhood told her that it was said her house had been haunted and were shocked when they heard she lived there.

According to their parents, who were against their children coming to play over at Ellen's, a long time ago, a small girl had been kidnapped from her family and had been found in the woods behind it. They said that she had been stabbed and her torso was slashed up to the point you could see her organs falling out. It was really gruesome and according to the story, the people blamed the uncle of the family, who was the only one who had seen the girl alive before she disappeared. When the local sheriff attempted to arrest him, they found the uncle hanging from a branch from a tree in the forest, very close to where the girl was found. People ruled it out as suicide out of guilt, but it wasn't the last time somebody vanished from the town.

Honestly, Ellen couldn't blame them for being scared of living so close to this forest. It had no name, yet the locals called it The Shadow Woods. She had no idea where they got that name, but it indeed felt quite… shadow-y. Different than the kids from the town, Ellen had no trouble playing in the woods. She actually liked the silence of the forest, feeling like she was in a different world. She didn't know what to make of the legends and myths surrounding it, but she had to admit, they had a point. It was really easy to get lost there.

However, considering she basically spent her entire childhood wandering around the forest, Ellen had not much problems with navigating through it. Though, at times, she felt that she was passing the same spot even though she was going in a straight line. There were even a few paths and people were advised to not stray away, but they would still get lost. Their phones wouldn't work when they attempt to call somebody for help and they feared the wild animals which were living there. While the forest was dangerous, there were still people stupid enough to go there.

Ellen remembered an accident, several years ago. Her father was working the whole night and she was home alone, as usual. She was about to go to sleep when she realized she still needed to lock the door. She suddenly heard screaming and ran downstairs, locking it just in time, because she saw somebody running towards the back of her house, banging on the door and attempting to get in.

They were screaming their heads off, calling for help and sobbing uncontrollably. They scared the hell out of her and she quickly ran around her house and shut and locked everything, even the balcony door on the top floor. She could hear them scream as they basically attempted to break into her house.

 **BANG!**

 **BANG!**

 **BANG!**

 _''HELP! HELP! LET US IN! **LETUSIN! DOYOUWANTUSTODIE?!** ''_

 _CRASH!_

Ellen shook her head. She could still hear the screams in her nightmares. For a 12 year old, it was sure a terrifying experience. She called the sheriff while listening to the screaming and begging, who quickly arrived with help.

As it turned out, they had run into… something… in the woods and and scared the living life out of them. They were brought to the hospital to be treated, one of the guys having his hand cut after he basically broke one of the kitchen windows in order to get into the house, where he and the two girls who were with him believed they'd be safe. The sheriff told her that he was shocked to hear that in that very house was just a little girl who locked herself up because she feared _them_ and even apologized and payed for the broken window. Apparently, only 3 out of 4 made out of the woods safely.

While the guy and two girls attempted to break into Ellen's house, their friend, another guy, had been found at the shore of the river which was flowing through the woods. He drowned.

Considering how shaken everyone was, the police tried to make sense of the story, finally concluding that the four campers probably encountered a wild animal, probably a bear, which chased their friend to the river, where he fell in and drowned.

The three survivors said that the thing looked more like a giant spider. Still, the case was closed and cops called it an unfortunate accident.

 _Creeaaak…_

Ellen winced as she opened the door. Somebody should really oil it, considering her father would yell at her for making noise. He often had headaches (not surprising) and would sleep the whole day. Her mother, however, was sleeping forever.

Ellen glanced at the huge photo of her mother hanging in the hallway. Her father would often tell her how she looked nothing like her mother, whom he adored. Ellen had no idea what her mother was like. She died at childbirth, Ellen being her only child. Sometimes she felt that her father was blaming her for his wife's death, even though his wife suffered from anemia and she lost a lot of blood during the process. That didn't stop him from yelling at her. He would never hit her though, but would always blame her when things went wrong, even though he could care less about it. However, the past year, he slowly stopped talking to her, merely acknowledging her presence when she opened or shut the door by yelling at her to keep it quiet. He was never at home.

Ellen locked the door behind her, checking the other windows and doors at the base level of the house before going upstairs. Paranoia was slowly eating her sanity, but she still kept it together.

Checking the other rooms to make sure everything was closed, she went to her bedroom. As she opened the door, itching to throw her backpack on the bed, she saw her window open. Wind was lightly stirring the light purple curtains.

''Damn!'' Ellen hissed as she clenched her teeth, throwing her backpack on the bed and running towards the window. It wasn't open when she left and her father sure as hell didn't come to her room. She quickly closed it then checked every inch of her room. The bed, the closet, the cupboard, her table…

However, there was nothing. Just an open window.

Ellen, however, wasn't convinced that there was nothing. She looked around once more, going back to her window.

She could see the leaves on the trees being stirred by the wind. She could hear the wind howling, creating a wailing sound in her house. She could see the bushes being ruffled by the wind. She could see a tall man in a suit watching her from her yard.

…

''Damnit!''

Ellen screamed, cursing.

The man was gone.

 **xXx**

''Hey, Ellen?''

''Elly?''

''Ellen, are you alright?''

''Huh?''

Ellen lifted her head up from the delicious chicken Linda's mother made. She looked quite gloomy and tired.

''Oh, I was just thinking about something.'' She replied. ''I'm sorry I upset you, Mrs. Rockwell.''

''Please, don't. I guess you just had a long day and would like to go sleep, right?'' Mrs. Rockwell smiled.

''She sure had a long day, mom.'' Linda looked at Ellen. ''Perhaps she could sleep over at our place? It's getting dark after all.''

''No nononono no.'' Ellen shook her head. ''Honestly, I don't think I should. I still have work to do at home.''

''Please dear, it's no big deal if you stay here for the night.'' Mrs. Rockwell replied. ''We're happy to have you as our guest.''

''Thanks, but, I can't.'' Ellen replied, blushing slightly. They were so nice to her and she had no idea what to do. She refused as politely as she could, but she really wanted to stay here.

''Please Laurel, if she doesn't want to stay, let her have it.'' Mr. Rockwell told his wife. He looked at Ellen. ''Of course, you're always welcome to stay if you need to.''

''Thanks.'' Ellen looked back at her plate. Despite the dinner being delicious, she wasn't that hungry.

''Hey mom, dad…'' A 10 year old boy who was sitting next to Linda rose his head. ''You'll never believe what Brian told me.''

''What is it Andrew?'' His mother asked.

''Well he said-''

''Who cares, Andy.'' Linda interrupted. ''I bet it's about that stupid forest again.''

''How'd you know?'' Andrew rose his eye-brow.

''Because that Brian can't stop talking about it. Every time he's here, he brings it up.'' Linda said.

''Yes, but this time,…''

''Not to mention, are people serious?'' Linda continued, completely ignoring her younger brother. ''I heard a lot of stupid stories from people here. They saw how there's some sort monster in the forest which eats little kids who get lost there. Can you believe it?''

She looked questioningly at Ellen, who just shrugged. The Rockwell's weren't locals. As a matter of fact, they moved here 11 years ago, but never really believed any of the folk tales the locals told.

''I still think it's just some wild animal lose in the forest, scaring people who then make up stories.'' Mr. Rockwell agreed with his daughter.

Ellen noticed that Mrs. Rockwell was also agreeing with her husband and daughter, but Andrew didn't look convinced. It seemed like he was really believing what his friend told him. Ellen had to agree with him. Being a local herself, she knew the stories surrounding the forest very well.

''Anyways, I have to go.'' She excused herself as Mr. Rockwell continued talking how 'people are blowing stuff out of proportions' and other 'nonsense they're making up'.

''Do you want me to pack you some leftovers, dear?'' Mrs. Rockwell asked.

''Umm, thanks.'' Ellen nodded, walking over into the hallway in order to put her trainers on.

''Hey, wait for me.'' Linda got up. ''I'll walk you to the crossroad.''

''Okay!'' Ellen nodded happily, while Mrs. Rockwell gave her the leftover chicken.

The two girls then left the house and started walking.

''Geez, mom is stuffing you like a Thanksgiving turkey.'' Linda joked.

''Heh, I guess she thinks I'm not eating well.'' Ellen replied.

''Well, you could pass as her second daughter. Wouldn't it be cool if you moved in? I mean, we are basically like sisters! Perhaps even closer!'' Linda chuckled.

''True.'' Ellen nodded. She indeed felt like part of the family. They were all loving and caring, but she guessed that they also pitied her. Especially Mrs. Rockwell, considering she knew Ellen's mother had died and she had to grow up with an alcoholic father. Ellen never told them how things were home, but they never really questioned her either. Instead, they acted like some sort of substitute family for her.

She noticed Linda's worried expression.

''I saw what Brooke did today.'' She said with a rather indifferent tone. ''I even heard her talking about you and you bet she wasn't flattering you.''

''…'' Ellen didn't reply.

Strange, wasn't it? Linda knew how everyone was abusing her, yet she acted nonchalant about it. Ellen didn't know what to make out of it, but she guessed Linda simply wanted to ignore everything bad and focus on something which didn't make her upset.

''I hate them.'' Ellen suddenly said.

''Huh, what?'' Linda looked at her, surprised.

''I mean, why are they picking on me? Without those four, at least the rest of the class would leave me alone. They're basically the ringleaders, but the teachers do nothing because they're picking favorites or thinking it's not their business.'' Ellen replied, being quite frustrated. ''As much as I try to make them leave me alone, they won't. The only reason why they didn't up it to eleven is because you're friends with me.''

''And this is why I ignore them. I may be nice to them, but I treat you much better, so they would see that you're actually a great friend and deserved to be treated well.'' Linda said. ''Bullies be bullies. They just don't understand what true friendship means. But us two do, right?''

''Um, sure.'' Ellen nodded, although she wasn't sure what Linda was talking about. She would often make speeches about them being the best friends in the world.

''And as you know, friends protect each other.'' Linda smiled.

''Right.'' Ellen nodded.

They came to the crossroad, with Ellen turning to the road which led to her house. She stood a bit, watching Linda leaving.

She sighed. Linda had no idea what Ellen did for her and she probably will never find out about it. It was a secret Ellen decided to take to her grave. Although, she wasn't the only one who knew about that secret.

The Tall Man also knew.

 **xXx**

 _I'm tired of being what you want me to be_

 _Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface_

 _Don't know what you're expecting of me_

 _Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes_

 _(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)_

 _Every step that I take is another mistake to you_

 _(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)_

 ** _I've become so numb, I can't feel you there_**

 ** _Become so tired, so much more aware_**

 ** _I'm becoming this, all I want to do_**

 ** _Is be more like me and be less like you_**

Ellen felt like it took her forever to grab her phone from the desk as her ringtone, _Numb_ by Linkin Park, played. She looked at the time, wondering who the hell was calling her at 7 AM in the morning.

''Hello?''

 _''Ellen, is Linda with you?!''_

Ellen sat up as she heard Mrs. Rockwell's panicking tone.

''No. I thought she went home after she walked me to the crossroad. Why?''

 _''Oh, God! She's not here!''_

Ellen was now fully awake.

''What?!''

She could hear shuffling on the phone and heard the sheriff's voice.

 _''Ellen, I'm afraid to say that Linda, along with 4 other of your classmates, has vanished.''_

Ellen didn't hear the sheriff talking to her about being questioned in order to figure out what was going on as she stared dead ahead at the other side of the room, a blank expression on her face.

The window was open again.


	3. On The Edge

Thanks for the reviews folks!

I don't have much to say here, but this is where the mythos gets a bit mixed up. Also, for those who read my fic **FNaF: Salvaged** , the next chapter is up.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Note 2**

 **On The Edge**

 _A year ago…_

At first, she didn't notice the signs. She behaved normally, like nothing was wrong. Nobody noticed, including herself. But soon, Ellen realized that Linda was all but being normal.

''Don't you want to eat it?'' Ellen asked as she and Linda were sitting in the cantine in school, eating their lunch. Linda was absent-mindedly poking the cut chicken meat with her fork.

''Oh, I'm on a diet.'' Linda smiled.

Ellen was a bit sceptic. Linda was skinny as a branch. She didn't need a diet and both Linda and Ellen knew it. Nonetheless, she didn't eat much in school and while Ellen couldn't monitor her the whole time, she doubted that she ate at home.

''Okay… But I still think you should eat at least something.'' Ellen replied.

''I… don't wanna…'' Linda pouted.

''Linda, listen…''

''It's Lindy.''

''Okay, Lindy. I'm just worried. You haven't eaten right for days and I'm not buying that diet crap. Not to mention, and no offense, but you look terrible. Have you even gotten any sleep?'' Ellen looked Linda dead in the eye. The latter used make-up to cover her blue-black eye sacks, but she accidentally wiped it with her hand, making them visible.

''I… I don't know… I'm just tired.'' Linda replied, sounding sleepy.

''Linda, maybe you should go to see the school nurse.'' Ellen suggested.

''No, no… I'll eat up.'' Linda shook her head, starting to eat the rest of her lunch.

Ellen didn't know what to say, so she kept quiet.

''Hey, ever had that feeling like somebody's following you?'' Linda asked.

''Well in your case, you seem to have a dozen of fans.'' Ellen lowered her eye-lids, glancing over at the table where Brooke with her friends was. The latter glared at Ellen once she noticed her glance, with Ellen frowning.

''No, no that…'' Linda shook her head.

''So, you mean a stalker? With or without a crush?'' Ellen asked, thinking that Linda might have a secret admirer.

''Without a crush.'' Linda said, suddenly dead serious. ''Somebody who likes to stalk you just because they can.''

A chilling feeling slid down Ellen's spine.

''Ahh, no, I don't.'' Ellen replied, shrugging.

''Huh… Well,…'' Suddenly Linda's voice rose. She looked angry. ''Do you even care about your best friend?''

''Wha- of course I do? What is that kind of question?'' Ellen asked.

''Nothing… I… I'm just tired. I cannot think straight.'' Linda held her head. ''I think I'm getting sick.''

''You look pale. I think you should go home.'' Ellen said.

''Nonono… I'll be alright.'' Linda suddenly smiled. ''After all, I have Elly to look after me.''

''If you say so. But if you do collapse, you are going straight to the nurse and them home.'' Ellen told her.

''No problem.'' Linda suddenly stood up. ''I… I just need to go to the toilet. We'll meet up at class.''

''Okay.'' Ellen watched her friend walking away, dumping the tray with the food and getting out of the room. She frowned.

''A stalker, huh?''

She hoped she was jumping too quick to conclusion. On a related note, this was the sixth time Linda went to the toilet this morning. Either she ate something really bad (which Ellen doubted) or something was going on. She looked quite sick and Ellen was worried that her best friend was in trouble.

''Seems like I'll have to keep an eye on her.''

 **xXx**

Ellen didn't pay much attention to the teacher as she did to Linda. It wasn't that hard, considering that (on Linda's insistence) they were sitting right next to each other. Linda was looking quite pale and tired, almost like she would faint. She was holding her stomach, seemingly in pain.

Ellen had enough of this.

''Um, professor!''

She stood up, looking at their geography teacher. Luckily, this one was a young woman, who was rather new in the school and did seem to care about her students, which is why Ellen liked her.

''What is it?'' The woman, Mrs. Taylor, asked.

''Linda is not feeling well. May I take her to the nurse's office?''

Ellen ignored the faint ''No.'' Linda muttered, as Mrs. Taylor looked at the latter.

''Sure.'' She nodded. ''Linda, you better go and see the nurse.''

''Okay…'' Linda murmured, grabbing her stuff. Ellen took her backpack as well, grabbing Linda's arm and helping her out. However, once they exited, Linda's attitude changed.

''What the hell was that?!'' She said angrily in a hushed tone.

''But, you said…''

Before Ellen could defend herself, Linda suddenly felt pain in her stomach and started to run towards the toilet. Ellen quickly followed her into the girl's toilet, looking at the cubicles. In front of one was Linda's backpack. She could hear puking sounds coming from one of them.

''Linda, are you alright?'' Ellen called out. More vomiting sounds.

''Aghh.. uhhh…''

''I'll… I'll call the nurse… Hang in there!'' Ellen told her, but suddenly, the door opened. There was a stench of vomit coming out, with Linda passing Ellen like a zombie, ignoring her friend completely.

Ellen didn't know what freaked her out more: Linda's behavior or the fact that she had blood dripping from her mouth.

''Linda… you…''

Linda turned around, staring Ellen with her mouth wide open. Her mouth, cheeks and chin was smeared with her own blood. Ellen noticed the wide, blank stare Linda had in her eyes.

''I'm… Lindy…''

Then, she fell over.

Ellen screamed.

 **xXx**

 _''Please… be okay…''_

Ellen stared at the other side of the wall of her room, recounting what happened. Her memory was hazy, but she could still hear herself screaming like crazy after Linda fainted. To her luck, the gym teacher was walking outside and heard her, quickly storming inside. Once he saw Ellen crying as she tried to wake Linda up, he picked the fainted girl, who looked now like a ghost, up and quickly got her to the nurse's office. Ellen followed them, holding Linda's backpack.

There was a huge commotion as the ambulance and Linda's parents were called in, while Ellen was questioned. She told them how Linda wasn't sleeping at all, got upset and ended up vomiting blood.

 _Did she eat something?_

No… She barely ate anything at lunch.

 _Did she get into any trouble?_

No… She would've told me if something was going on.

 _Does she have any sickness?_

No! What kind of question is that?!

Ellen shook her head. She could still remember how upset Linda's parents were when they saw the state their daughter was in. She felt guilty about it. After all, she was Linda's best friend. She should've noticed something!

Now, all she could do was to hope for the best. She did call Mrs. Rockwell to hear more about Linda's condition. Mrs. Rockwell was gloomy and somber, crying silently as she told Ellen how Linda would be kept on watch in the hospital for a day. Tomorrow, she'd be out, but would stay at home for a few days.

Ellen sighed. She just couldn't understand why Linda was suddenly so moody. Why did she snap at Ellen like that when she tried to help her? Wasn't Ellen supposed to help her? After all, Linda did tell Ellen to keep an eye on her.

She just couldn't understand it.

Ellen looked at the backpack on the floor. It was Linda's. Her parents forgot to take it, so Ellen kept it. She would return the backpack to Linda once she gets home.

Ellen frowned, getting up and walking over to the backpack. She knew she shouldn't look at other people's stuff, but she and Linda shared almost everything. She was sure her friend wouldn't mind if she looked at it. After all, maybe she would find something which could help her understand Linda's condition.

Ellen zipped the backpack open, looking at it's contents. Books, notebooks, pencil case… Nothing out of ordinary. She flipped the backpack, letting everything fall on the floor to get a closer look. To her shock, she found a small yellow-brown bottle with pills in it.

''What the hell…?!'' She took it, looking at the etiquette. Those were anti-depressants.

But why would Linda need anti-depressants? Was she depressed or something?

Then it hit her like lightning striking a tree and burning it to ashes.

Was Linda trying to… overdose herself? Was she trying to kill herself?

''No way… No way!''

Ellen shook her head in disbelief. Linda would never do that! Why would she want to kill herself?! She never gave any indication that she would commit actual suicide?!

Ellen knew Linda her entire life. She was always cheerful and nice and kind, but never depressed. At least, until now.

 _''Hey, ever had that feeling like somebody's following you?''_

Ellen gritted her teeth. She felt anger and hatred, but it was not directed towards Linda. It was directed towards where the woods were.

Where _he_ was.

 **xXx**

''The forest is alive! I'm saying the truth!''

''Tsk, as if.''

8 year old Ellen couldn't believe it as she saw Linda crossing her arms and pouting.

''Forest's can't be alive.''

''My grandma says they are.''

''No way!''

The two were playing in Ellen's backyard, with Linda sitting on the swing, which ropes were tied to a tall and old tree. Ellen pointed at the woods behind them.

''But it is!'' Ellen tried to convince her friend. ''My grandma never lies!''

''I know that. But I still don't believe her. All you can find in the woods are bears and wolves.'' Linda replied.

''And the Tree Shadow.'' Ellen added.

''Tree Shadow? What's that?'' Linda gave a smug smile, giggling.

''It's not funny.'' Ellen frowned. ''Also, I'm calling him Tree Shadow. Although grandma Rose says he has many other names.''

''Who is that Tree Shadow-thingy you're talking about?'' Linda asked her.

''I dunno. A person, I guess?'' Ellen rubbed the back of her head. ''My grandma says you mustn't make him angry and that you need to respect the woods as they're alive.''

''Why shouldn't you make him angry?''

''Because he'll take you then. And you'll never come back.''

 **xXx**

Just how many times did the two have those conversations when they were younger? Ellen didn't know anymore. Any time she would mention The Shadow Woods to Linda, she would get angry for some reason and accuse Ellen of making things up. It didn't strain their friendship, but Ellen was nonetheless sad that Linda wouldn't take her serious.

Now that she was older, she became more and more aware of what that Tree Shadow, as she still called him, was. It sure wasn't a human, nor an animal. There were many legends surrounding it, passed from one person to another, but in a hushed tone, as if they feared he could hear them. They feared that even if they mentioned his name, he would come and take them away.

Nobody really knew what he looked like. Some legends, like those Ellen heard from her maternal grandmother, Rose Darrow, stated that it was some sort of faerie creature and the guardian of the forest. This creature was rather violent and hostile towards humans, especially if they show disrespect towards it's home. It would reach for them with it's long arms and black vine-like tentacles, grabbing them and taking them away.

Some kids talked about a tall stranger in a black suit and fedora, starring at them. If you came closer to him, he would reveal his red flashing eyes and a set of sharp teeth, like those of a shark, and devour you.

Then there was one, said to be true. People said that long ago, a girl had vanished from her homes. People have been searching for her for days, only to find the girl impaled on a branch, high up in the tree crown. Her organs have been put in plastic bags and put back into her body, the torso being sewn back with a black thread. According to the story, the guy who examined the corpse didn't dare to tell the parents whether she was alive or dead when she got ripped open.

Several days later, the girl's house burst up in flames. The parents have vanished and nobody ever found out what actually happened. They didn't want to know.

Ellen had no idea if she should consider herself lucky or doomed. Considering the stories, she managed to live bloody long without getting herself killed.

While people would try to dismiss the legends as stories their parents and grandparents told them in order for them to stay away from the woods, Ellen knew well that the creature indeed existed. He was following her for who knows how long.

She never figured out when it was the first time she actually saw him. All she knew is that, when she was around 6 or 7 years old, she saw a tall stranger staring at her while she was playing in her backyard. Her father wasn't at home at that point, which was something which stunned Ellen for years. Although, considering he was abusive and ignorant about her, she figured she shouldn't be that surprised.

The stranger wasn't moving. Just staring…. And staring. Ellen's memory was still blurry, but she did remember he had pale skin and a suit. She couldn't remember his face (even wondering if he had any), but she had a creepy feeling about him.

 _''Do you need something?''_

The voice of her six year old self echoed in teen-Ellen's head as she recalled the event. She thought he was just some person living in the woods or that he was lost.

Suddenly, her vision also became blurry, as if she was getting blinded by the sun's rays. She was still staring at the trees, exactly where the man stood, blinking as she tried to clear her vision.

All she saw were trees.

And then, the nightmare began.

 **xXx**

It was dead in the night as Ellen went to Linda's house. She was told that Linda came back home, but her parents sounded rather concerned and Ellen told them she would drop by the next day. However, she couldn't sleep, so she decided to take a small stroll to Linda's house. She knew well what she was doing was creepy and stalkerish, but she figured that, if her theory was correct, she had a very good reason for doing it.

Ellen climbed the tree close to Linda's house, trying to get a good look at her bedroom window. There was actually an old tree closer to it, but Ellen didn't want to risk being seen. She was just sitting there, trying to shift into a more comfortable position, and looked around.

Of course, she couldn't prove her theory and all she had were assumptions, but if the reason why Linda suddenly got so suicidal was indeed the one being she was suspecting, then he would eventually show up.

Honestly, Ellen never really saw him from close up. He would always hide close to the trees or watch her from her backyard if she was in the house. Never close, but close enough so she would know he was there. It was driving her crazy.

Considering how violent the creature was, Ellen assumed he wanted her to go crazy, but she didn't. She knew better than to just give up on what sanity she had left. She guessed that her determination to not fall into his trap was what kept him stalking her, but never really threatening her life. While Ellen wasn't really bothered by being his victim, she was pissed off about her best friend becoming his new target.

She gasped as she saw the window opening. Linda, still wearing her PJs, climbed onto the thick tree branch and onto the tree. Ellen remembered how Linda's father always said how he would cut the tree down, but Linda would protest. Now Ellen knew why. It was Linda's escape route.

She observed as Linda was going towards where Ellen was, wondering if her friend maybe saw her. Apparently, she didn't, as she walked past the tree on which Ellen was. The latter carefully climbed down, deciding to follow Linda, but without making her presence known.

She wondered if Linda was maybe sleep-walking, but given her sluggish movements and the fact that she was muttering to herself, she didn't. At least, Ellen assumed she didn't. Getting closer to Linda, Ellen realized that she looked more as if she was possessed, her limbs moving like a puppet on a string.

Linda was tripping over roots and wet, slippery leaves, but would always keep herself up. As if something was calling her, closer and closer…

Suddenly, she started to run. Ellen's eyes widened and she darted, following Linda as close as possible. She had no idea how deep in the forest they were or where Linda was going. All she knew was that she had to make sure her friend won't get in any danger.

Suddenly, Linda came to a clearing. She stopped running, making Ellen almost collide into her as the latter was still in full sprint. Ellen stared at the clearing, recognizing it. It was the clearing close to where her house was. In the middle of it was a thick, dead tree with branches devoid of any leaves.

Ellen did came a few times here, but she never told anyone about this clearing. How did Linda know where to go to?

''Linda…'' Ellen called her out. She decided that enough was enough and that she should bring Linda back home, to safety. Although…

With him around, there was no place Linda would be safe at.

Suddenly, Linda turned around, staring at Ellen with blank, blood-shot eyes. Ellen gulped, taking a step back.

''You! What did you do to me?!'' Linda suddenly started to scream.

Ellen had no idea if Linda was in some sort of trance or wide awake. She never saw her friend like this.

''Why did you do this to me?! I thought we were friends! I thought you cared about me!'' Linda continued to scream at her.

''Linda, I…''

''It's Lindy!''

Ellen was speechless. She had no idea what to do. This wasn't the Linda she knew. She was now just a husk of her old self, dirty and pale, whiter than ice and snow. She was skinny, almost anorexic, and her hair was messy. Ellen's eyes widened as she saw bruises on her arms. She had been wearing long shirts in school, but now, wearing her short-sleeved PJ shirt, she could see them clearly.

How long has this been going on?!

''Aghr!'' Linda suddenly let out a scream, falling down.

''Linda!'' Ellen screamed, rushing over to her side. She fainted again, but this time, she wasn't bleeding. ''Linda, wake up! Wake up! Please!''

Ellen knew that she had to do something. She took out her cell phone, deciding to dial 911. However, as she turned it on, she saw static on it.

''What…''

Suddenly, she felt the temperature falling. It had been a warm night, but she felt cold. The moon, hidden behind a cloud, appeared once again.

A voice in her head screamed for her to run, but she couldn't. She felt like her feet were made of stone. She couldn't move them. She couldn't run.

Turning around, she looked at the clearing, at the dead tree. However, what she was looking at wasn't a dead tree. It was the Tree Shadow.

She felt dizzy, he breath becoming shallow and her heart beating too fast, but she forced herself to look at the being in front of her.

A tall person with pale skin was staring back. He had long arms and wore a dark blue suit with a red tie and black shoes. A black fedora covered his head, put in a way Ellen couldn't see his face. Six black tentacles were extending from his back, looking like a spider's legs. He was standing in front of the tree, but if it were complete darkness, he would be mistaken as being that very tree.

 _''Don't you wish to run…''_

The creature… spoke? Ellen blinked, her jaw slightly dropped. She could hear a quiet, deep, yet gruff and slightly raspy voice. She didn't know if it was in her head or if the creature really spoke. It sounded creepy, yet oddly attracting. It felt like a hypnosis or a spell, cast to put you into a trance or an eternal sleep. As if you wanted to leave and never return…

''I'm not going to leave my friend here.'' Ellen replied, snapping out of it. The hypnotizing echo of the voice disappeared as Ellen's own anger took over her body. She felt her legs being able to move again. ''What did you do to her?''

He didn't answer.

Ellen was now glaring at him as her fear got replaced with rage. Linda was like a sister to her and she would protect her, no matter what.

 _''Why do you care…''_

''She's my best friend.'' Ellen replied.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she heard an odd sound. It sounded like a soft chuckle, as if the being was amused with her determination to protect her friend.

 _''She is not your friend…''_

''What do you know about friendship?'' Ellen replied.

Suddenly, the creature's tentacles rose in a menacing manner. Ellen realized she made him angry, but she had no idea to what extent.

She gasped in fear, stumbling back. She just blinked, but when she opened her eyes, the creature vanished from the spot he was standing, which was a good distance away.

Now he was standing right in front of her, his tentacles spreading out and looking like they were reaching for her. He looked like a spider about to devour it's prey.

 _''And what do you know…''_

His tone changed from quiet to angry. He sounded enraged, as if Ellen just delivered a massive insult, and looked very aggressive.

Even though she was now really scared, almost close to fainting, Ellen tried to remain composed. She was shaking like a twig.

''Why are you interested in Linda? I was the one whom you followed, after all. Leave her out of it!'' She replied, her voice a bit shaky. She was staring at the ground, but tried to look at the creature's face. A higher force, however, stopped her from trying.

 _''Leave…''_

''I won't!'' She closed her eyes, yelling. ''Instead of her… just take me!''

For a while, nothing happened. Ellen still kept her eyes closed, expecting that the creature would attempt to impale her with his tentacles.

But nothing happened.

''My friend… she's in bad condition. I don't want anybody to hurt her, as she's very important to me. If you were planning on taking her life, then I'm offering mine instead of hers.'' Ellen closed her eyes, lowering her head as words poured out. She kept this secret hidden from everyone, even from Linda. ''She can recover and get her life together… I can't… I have nothing…''

She had always been looking at Linda as the luckiest girl who ever existed. She had a loving family, she was popular, she could get whatever she wanted.

Ellen's home was falling apart, one parent dead, the other not giving a damn about his daughter. She was bullied in school and avoided.

Sometimes, as she watched Linda's happy life unfolding, she wished she had such life. She wished she had the luxury of having a happy family and carefree childhood.

Admitting, yes, she envied Linda. Still, she cared about her friend. She didn't want to steal or destroy what Linda had.

 _''Interesting offering…''_

Ellen opened her eyes. She was confused as she saw that the creature vanished. Still, she could hear his voice. It was a faint whisper…

 _''I accept…''_

Her body froze as she realized where it came from. She turned around, her scream dying out as the creature lunged at her from behind, his tentacles wrapping around her.

Then, she fell into the darkness...

 **xXx**

 _Present day…_

Ellen was running towards Linda's house. She had to know what exactly happened. Didn't he plan to keep his promise?

She could still remember how she woke up, back in her room. She had no idea how she came there, but she felt dizzy and sick from it. Still, she was unharmed. She didn't understand what exactly happened or why she was kept alive, but she knew that the creature would continue to stalk her.

Linda, on the other hand, was back to her old self. She couldn't remember anything what happened and stared at Ellen as if the latter was crazy when Ellen asked if she woke up in her room. It seemed like her suicidal thoughts also vanished and she even gained normal weight. Ellen guessed that the Tree Shadow somehow erased her memories and honestly, it was the only thing she was thankful for. She vowed to herself to never tell Linda what happened.

But still, why would he keep her alive? To continue torturing her mind? Or maybe there was something else?

Something far more sinister…


	4. Leave

I'm back with another chapter! (Finally!)

If you wish to know more about the progress of this story or my other FanFics, go on my profile where I wrote several notes about each story and which story I'm currently working on.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Note 3**

 **Leave**

Just as Ellen arrived at Linda's house, she could the cops talking to Linda's parents. Her mother was crying, holding a tissue, while her husband was supporting her. Even Andy looked deeply shaken. She saw the local sheriff talking to a man in a brown jacket.

''What's going on?'' Ellen asked as she approached them.

''Ellen Blake, just the one we need to talk to,'' the sheriff said as he saw her. ''Mrs. Blake, this is detective Noah Smith.''

''I have a few questions for you, Mrs. Blake,'' Noah said. However, before he could say anything more, Linda's mother approached them, grabbing Ellen by her shoulders and shaking her.

''Please, please tell me you saw Linda!'' she cried. ''She can't be gone! Did we do something to upset her?!''

''Dear, please…'' Her husband put a hand on her shoulder, causing Mrs. Rockwell to shake her head as she tears flew down her cheeks. She was shaking.

''Perhaps we should continue the questioning inside,'' Noah suggested. Ellen nodded, glancing at the distraught Rockwells. She hoped she could help them find Linda.

Once inside the living room, Noah gestured for Ellen to sit down.

''As you already know, Linda Rockwell has been missing since the previous night,'' Noah said. ''When was the last time you've seen her?''

''Yesterday evening. She walked me back home, then returned to her house. That's when I saw her the last time,'' Ellen explained. ''Did she even return home safely?''

''Yes,'' Noah nodded. ''However, as Mr. and Mrs. Rockwell stated, she was missing when they went to check her room.''

Ellen glanced at Linda's parents, feeling a sting of guilt as she saw Linda's mother sobbing. He parents didn't know about Linda's habit of sneaking out of the house.

''Did Linda say anything unusual or behaved strangely?'' Noah continued with his questioning.

''As much as I remember, no. We were talking about the dinner and school. She was worried about me being bullied and we talked over it. Then she left,'' Ellen replied.

''I see,'' Noah wrote down something in his notebook. ''And could you tell me who bullied you?''

''Uhm, well…'' Ellen blinked in surprise. Nobody was ever this interested in her problems. ''That would be Brooke and her friends, Elliot, Josh and Melissa.''

''Did you and Brooke have any serious fights lately?''

''Well, um… We did have a fight, but it was more firing insults at each other.'' Ellen rose an eyebrow as Noah wrote it down. ''Why are you asking me that? Isn't Linda the one missing…?'' Her eyes widened as the sheriff's voice echoed in her head. Four more classmates of hers were missing as well. ''Them too?''

Noah nodded.

''All five vanished the previous night. There were no notes or anything that indicated that they would leave. I hoped you could provide us with some useful informations about any reasons why they would leave,'' Noah explained.

''I wish I could, but I really have no idea what might've happened,'' Ellen shook her head.

''Where were you the last night after Linda went back home?'' Noah continued.

''At home. I went straight to bed. You see, I have some insomnia problems, so I tend to often sleep as much as possible,'' Ellen explained.

''Is there anyone to confirm that you were at home the whole night?''

Ellen thought for a bit. She couldn't remember if her father even returned back home.

''I don't think so.''

''Is there anything else you know?''

''No…''

''Okay,'' Noah gave her a white card, ''if there's anything you want to tell me, call this number.''

Ellen stared blankly at the numbers printed on the card. She glanced at Linda's parents and her brother. Linda's mother was still shaking and crying, while her husband tried to comfort her. Andy was silent, staring at the floor.

''You are free to go now.''

Ellen blinked as the detective's voice brought her back to reality. He then turned to Linda's parents to ask them something, but Linda's mother suddenly lunged at Ellen, grabbing her hand.

''How can you say that?!'' Mrs. Rockwell shook Ellen, twisting her arm. ''You must know! You must know! You're her friend!''

''Laurel, let her go!'' Linda's father jumped, trying to get his wife away from Ellen. ''She already said she doesn't know anything!''

''She has toooo!'' Linda's mother let out a horrible cry. ''Someone took my baby girl! Someone took my Linda!''

''Mrs. Rockwell, please!'' Noah jumped in, forcing Mrs. Rockwell to release the grip on Ellen's arm. ''We will find Linda, I promise. However, I will not tolerate you assaulting a witness.''

His strict voice caused her to stop flailing. She stared at him, then at Ellen, her eyes bloodshot.

''You're the worst, useless brat!'' she yelled at her. ''How can you live with yourself?!''

Ellen stared in horror. She was shocked, as Linda's mother had never behaved like that before. She had always been sweet and kind to her, but now… Ellen felt her eyes tearing up.

''Out of my house!''

''Laurel, for God's sake-!''

Ellen didn't hear the rest of it. She was crying as she ran out of the house. Half-blinded by her tears, she ran down the road and to the edge of the forest. She leaned on a tree, sliding down onto the dry grass. She could still hear Mrs. Rockwell screaming at her.

 _…useless brat!..._

It was one thing when her father would scream and insult her, but someone like Laurel Rockwell, who was like a mother to her since she befriended Linda…

 _How can you live with yourself?!_

Just, what did she do to deserve such hatred? She knew that Mrs. Rockwell adored her daughter and was looking after her day and night, especially after her suicide attempt, but did she really expect that Ellen would monitor her 24/7 as well?

''Oi, Ellen!''

Ellen rose her head, hearing a familiar voice. She tried to wipe the tears, but then had something hit her head. It was a small package of tissues. She looked back, noticing Andrew, Linda's younger brother, staring at her.

''I thought you'd need them,'' he said. ''Mom is really not herself ever since Linda vanished.''

''Th-thanks…'' Ellen took one out and dried her eyes, then blew her nose.

''She believes that it is your fault that Linda is gone,'' Andy added. ''Bad influence, y'know…''

''I never did-''

''I know,'' Andy cut her off. ''Mom likes to pretend, though. It was just a matter of time till she breaks down.''

''What?'' Ellen stared at the 10-year old, who sighed, sitting down next to her. He tore some grass away and started to tear the individual blades.

''Dad does like you, but he will bend to Mom's will,'' Andy continued. ''Mom likes you only coz Linda likes you. Otherwise, she'd see you as 'that drunk's daughter'.''

''I didn't know…'' Ellen muttered quietly. She felt empty, like a glass frame. The glass had been already shattered and the pieces lied in front of her, but she couldn't pick any up in fear of cutting herself and ending up bleeding stronger than she was now.

''I never liked Linda, though, but I kept quiet,'' Andy said.

''What do you mean?'' Ellen's eyes widened. At first, she thought it was just sibling rivalry, but…

''To you, she was a great friend who'd help you when you were bullied,'' Andy said. ''To me, she was the worst bully ever.''

''…'' Ellen didn't even have the strength to ask.

''Has she ever told you how she broke Mom's favorite vase and blamed me for it?'' Andy asked.

''She said it was you who broke it.''

''She lied. I was in my room when she broke it and ran down to see what happened. I told her I'd tattle, so she cut me with a shard and said it'll look like it was my fault,'' Andy frowned.

''I'm sorry,… I didn't know…'' Ellen muttered. She knew that Linda never got along with her brother, but this? It was horrible! As if they were talking about two people.

''I hoped you'd too see just how terrible Linda is, but I guess she managed to fool everyone with her mask of a perfect daughter,'' Andy ripped the pieces of grass apart. ''I'd rather have you as my sister.''

''I…'' Ellen trailed off. ''There were times when she could get quite rough. She'd drag me everywhere and didn't seem to take no for an answer. I believed that it was because we were best friends and best friends always do stuff together.''

''I tried to keep up with her behavior. It never ended well for me,'' Andy muttered.

''We… I… I mean, despite that, she and the rest need to be found,'' Ellen said.

''Why would you want a bunch of people like them to return?''

''Isn't Linda your sister?''

''A sister who would've killed me if I haven't been trying to avoid her,'' Andy's eyes teared.

''I made a promise…'' Ellen whispered, feeling warm tears trailing down her cheek. ''I want to confront her about it... That's why she has to come back.''

A breeze picked up, with Ellen leaning her head against the tree, listening to the murmur of leaves. Even if Linda was really a horrible person, she had to come back. Ellen promised herself to look after her, especially after what happened…

She stared at the tree crown. It may have been just the wind, but it was surprising to see the thicker branches moving, as the wind wasn't that strong. They looked as if they were growing, but maybe her eyes played a trick on her.

 _''Why do you care…''_

 _''She's my best friend.''_

 _''She is not your friend…''_

 _''What do you know about friendship?''_

 _''And what do you know…_ ''

''Why didn't you tell me anything about what Linda did earlier?'' she suddenly asked. ''Or anyone else?''

''I dunno. I thought that Linda would convince you I was lying,'' Andy shrugged. ''I was already in trouble for 'lying' about some tall guy staring at our house.''

''What do you mean?'' Ellen stared at him.

''It was some guy in a suit and a fedora and he was staring at our house,'' Andy explained. ''I told my parents, but they said I was seeing things. When I persisted, I got into trouble.''

Ellen suddenly stood up, surprising Andy.

''You need to go home,'' she told him.

''Why? Do you know something?'' Andy asked her, but Ellen shook her head.

''We shouldn't be here. The forest is dangerous,'' she replied. Andy wanted to protest, but the serious look Ellen gave him made him shut up.

Andy heard about the stories about the woods from his classmates and, different than his sister or parents, he felt that they held a grain of truth. The woods were quite creepy and he and his friends would dare each other to go there, especially at night. No one did.

Looking at Ellen's expression, he felt that there was indeed something dangerous there.

 **xXx**

Even if it was early afternoon, the woods made it feel as if it was already evening. Due the thick tree crowns, it was always darker in the woods. She brought a pen flashlight with her, but it was turned off, as she could still see what was in front of her.

Even though it was peaceful, she was still anxious, looking around for any sign of life. She couldn't hear the chirp of the birds, nor the steps of the smaller animals. There was no wind to cause the leaves to rustle. It was dead quiet.

Ellen hated walking through the forest when it was like this. It felt empty and lifeless. She could've been walking through a graveyard for all she knew.

It took her a while to recover from the shock. She had been replaying what happened at the Rockwells over and over again. She hoped that, after befriending Linda and meeting her family, she would have at least someone who cared about her. However, any time she tried to remember the happier times, she saw Mrs. Rockwell's desperate expression, her eyes full of anger and hatred.

She sighed. She never should've thought that. There was no way she'd be ever accepted anywhere.

Even though she knew the horrible truth, it was strange that she would try to find Linda. However, she wanted answers. She wanted to confront her friend. She wanted to know if it was worth keeping her promise.

However, in order to find her friend, she had to find _him_.

Ellen shivered. Her grandmother always told her how nobody ever found The Tall Man. Instead, he'd always find them, if he was interested.

She wondered why he was interested in Linda and if he indeed took her and the other bullies. If he wanted to take anyone, it would be her. That was their agreement.

 _''Why do you care…''_

 _''She's my best friend.''_

 _''She is not your friend…''_

 _''What do you know about friendship?''_

 _''And what do you know…''_

Even if Linda was never honest with her, she still protected her from the other bullies and stood up for her even if everyone else didn't. But she was a bully herself and a liar. Could Ellen really call her a friend, then?

And the man…

''Why did you still stalk her?!'' Ellen yelled, her voice echoing through the forest. A flock of birds flew away. ''I told you to take me instead!''

She was told that he had strange powers, but she didn't know what they were. Her grandmother said that many went crazy after they angered him. They were lucky, as those who weren't vanished without a trace. Did Linda and the others make him angry as well?

As expected, there was no response.

She stared at the thick branches, expecting them to move. She wanted a sign, any sign, that she was heard. She wanted to know what happened.

The hair on her neck suddenly stood up. She heard a rustle. Turning her head to the source, she realized that it were just the leaves on some tree. However, she didn't feel any wind. Instead, there was a sharp smell of salt and copper.

Looking at the tree, she saw something glinting on the bottom as the leaves moved, letting the sun through. It looked like red paint.

Her eyes widened and she quickly ran over to it. She shut her mouth with her hand as she almost screamed.

Elliot was sitting beneath the tree, spread out like a puppet whose strings were cut. His torso was ripped open, looking like a wild animal has clawed it out. His intestines were hanging out, the blood spilling onto the grass. His eyes were wide open in terror.

Ellen felt nausea as she walked around, trying to stop herself from vomitting her lunch. She saw a note on the tree, a white sheet of paper containing a childish drawing of a tall figure. Around it, the same word was constantly repeated, written in different sizes.

 _LEAVE!_


	5. Legend

I kinda planned to post this when the new Slender Man movie came out, but hey, it's still ongoing.

Anyways, I hope you'll like it. Leave a review and enjoy!

* * *

 **Note 4**

 **Legend**

Ellen felt nervous. The paper with the note was in the back pocket of her jeans, yet she showed no desire to show it to the man across the table.

''Ellen, I know this is difficult, but have you seen anything unusual?'' Noah asked her.

''No…'' Ellen said in a quiet voice. The detective sighed.

''I know you're familiar with the victim, Elliot Kinley, as he was one of the students who bullied you-''

''Am I a suspect now?'' Ellen suddenly asked, staring at the surprised detective.

''You didn't look particularly sad when you heard that they were gone,'' Noah shrugged.

''I did hate them, but I never wanted any of them to die,'' Ellen said. _Even though they deserved it._

''I know, I know. And I am not saying that you're a suspect, but aside from each other, you're the only connection we have with them and you're holding grudge against them. You also found the body,'' Noah replied. ''Why did you go into the woods?''

''I needed some time to think all of this through. First my best friend went missing, then the bullies, then…'' Ellen gulped as she remembered what Andy told her about Linda lying to her the whole time. ''I needed to clear my head.''

''Why the woods?'' Noah asked. ''I've heard that the locals here try to avoid them as much as possible.''

Ellen thought about the note she found. Should she show him? Perhaps it would be better if someone experienced takes over the situation.

''I have also been informed that you had been kidnapped as a child.'' Noah took out a copy of the old missing child case. ''You were six and have disappeared for an entire week until you were found roaming in the woods behind your house.''

''I don't remember that,'' Ellen said.

''In the report, it says that you were well-fed and clean when they found you, despite being missing for so long. They also found a note with some scribbles, which was assumed to be from your kidnapper,'' Noah showed her a photo of the note. Ellen looked at it, noticing that it were two stick figures holding hands, but the tall one had additional lines coming out from its back. The words ''MY DEAR CHILD'' were written at the bottom.

''I told you, I don't remember any of it. All I know was that I played on the swing and walked into the woods. After that, I was suddenly grabbed by one of the rescuers,'' Ellen replied. ''I have no idea what happened in the week in between those two events.''

''Have you ever been stalked?'' Ellen's eyes widened in surprise, with Noah carefully observing her. ''I believe this means that you were.''

''What does this have to do with the disappearance of Linda and the others?'' Ellen frowned.

''I believe that their disappearance has a connection to your own kidnapping. You seem to be aware that you're being stalked. Perhaps it is the same person. They didn't harm you, but they did harm those who hurt you,'' Noah explained, with Ellen feeling a growing pit in her stomach. ''Ellen, you need to tell me what you know, what you remember. You may be protecting a stalker, a kidnapper and a murderer.''

''I'm not protecting anyone.'' Ellen went silent. She took out the note she found, staring at the detective. ''Do you know why the Shadow Woods are being avoided by other people?''

''I heard that there were many strange accidents-''

''Those accidents weren't accidents.'' Ellen put the note on the table. ''There is something in the woods, detective, and people made it angry. Therefore, it took revenge on them.''

''What do you mean?'' Noah examined the note, comparing it to the one from Ellen's case. ''Who is this person?''

''It is a person, but not a human. Honestly, I don't know what it is. All I know that it hates people who disrespect it or the woods it lives in,'' Ellen replied. She noticed the look Noah was giving her. _He doesn't believe me._

''Do you have any description of this ''creature''?'' Noah asked her.

''It looks like a tall man with pale skin, no hair and always in a dark suit,'' Ellen said, with Noah writting the information on his notepad.

''So, this man had been stalking you?'' Noah asked, with Ellen nodding. ''Okay, I'll see what I can do with this. Are you going somewhere? I need to know in case I'll have more questions for you.''

Ellen thought about it, wanting to answer that she's going to stay, but something else came out.

''I'm going to visit my grandma.''

 **xXx**

''Tsk, tsk, tsk, is that deadbeat of a father even giving you food? You look skinny as a toothpick.'' Ellen smiled as the elderly woman who just hugged her gave her a warm smile. Rose Darrow, Ellen's maternal grandmother took her into her room. She had been a resident of a home for elderly people and while said to be too old to live alone, she still seemed to be full of life. ''I bought a cake. If I knew that you'd be coming, I would've asked the staff in the kitchen to let me cook you something.''

''Thanks, grandma,'' Ellen said as she bit into the strawberry cake.

''So, what brings you here? Did that old man hurt you? How's your friend Linda?'' Rose asked her as she put a cup of tea in front of her.

''Dad didn't do anything. Honestly, I have no idea where he is now,'' Ellen shrugged. ''But, Linda was kidnapped and so where five other students. Those who were bullying me. One of them was found dead.''

''I see,'' Rose sighed heavily, patting her grandaughter's head. ''I'm sorry about your friend.''

''Honestly, I don't even know if she was my friend,'' Ellen muttered.

''Why?''

 _''She is not your friend…''_

 _''What do you know about friendship?''_

''Grandma, I wanted to talk about the Tree Shadow,'' Ellen suddenly said, dodging her grandmother's question. Rose stared at her as if frozen, but then took a deep breath. Ellen knew that she was one of the few people who knew what was going on in the woods and what kind of creature inhabited them. As a matter of fact, her grandmother taught her everything about the Shadow Woods. ''I believe that he was the one who took Linda and the others, but I don't know why he would that.''

''If he took them, then they won't come back alive.'' Rose stood up, searching something in the drawers of the cupboard that stood next to her bed.

''I came back alive,'' Ellen said.

''You were lucky,'' Rose told her, taking out a bunch of papers and putting them on the table. ''Not many people who become his target survive for this long.''

''What's that?'' Ellen asked, staring at the papers. They were all crude drawings, all showing either woods or the stick figure she saw in the notes.

''You drew them when you were three years old,'' Rose explained. ''That's when you became his target.''

''But, I don't remember anything,'' Ellen said, staring at her.

''It's okay. Amnesia is one of the consequences of being his target. Luckily, you haven't contracted any sickness. He is incredibly dangerous and, as said, you're lucky you managed to survive an encounter with him,'' Rose said, tapping at the stick figure on one of the drawings. ''He's known by many names: The Tall Man, Fear Dubh, The Stalker, The Entity, Der Großmann and – more famously – The Slender Man. Although, your childish self decided to call him the Tree Shadow.''

''He reminded me of a tree,'' Ellen said, remembering the tentacles on the creature's back extending like branches from a tree.

''Nobody knows where he comes from. My mother was sure that his true home was Schwarzwald in Germany,'' Rose chuckled lightly, shaking her head. ''Then she stated that he also probably had been to Aokigahara in Japan. However, all I know now is that he's calling the Shadow Woods his home.''

''Do you know for how long he had been here?'' Ellen asked curiously. Her grandmother never told her this part of the story.

''I don't know. All I can say is that he's a strange creature with an unknown origin. He would often stalk and kidnap children, taking them into the unknown,'' Rose said as she looked outside through the window, as if expecting to find him standing there. ''I told you already that he has a strong connection to the woods and is known to guard them. He watches over those who enter the woods and he decides who will exit them.''

Ellen looked at the crude drawings she made. Why was she allowed to exit the woods?

 **xXx**

 _''There is something in the woods, detective, and people made it angry. Therefore, it took revenge on them.''_

Noah shook his head, taking out a flashlight out of his pocket. Even though it was still a bright day, the further he walked into the woods, the darker it got. He wondered what exactly made him go here. He doubted that there was some supernatural creature living in the woods, but if there was a homicidal maniac living here, he needed to find and arrest him before another body is found. While he didn't approve of those teens bullying Ellen, he hoped that they were still alive.

Suddenly, he heard a rustle. He turned around, but only saw a few leaves falling down. Probably a squirrel.

Noah stopped as he realized something.

Why was it so quiet here? He was in a forest after all. He should've heard more animals causing noises. Now, he didn't even hear a bird's chirp.

CRACK

Noah drew the gun out of the holster. He could hear the bushes rustling as if someone was dragging something across them. He slowly turned around in all directions, trying to find the source of the noise. His flashlight started to flicker and turned off.

''Damnit-''

He suddenly froze as he heard something behind him and turned around.

''Agh!'' Noah felt something wrapping around his leg. At first he thought it was a snake, but then he saw it was some kind of root. A black root that was squeezing his leg. However, as he tried to pry it off, he felt that it was cold. If it wasn't root, then what was it?!

In panic, he shoot the appendage, causing it to let him go. He jogged away from the spot, then looked around.

''Is someone here? Show yourself!''

Another rustle. He turned around, seeing a figure in the dark.

''Come into the open with your hands in the air!'' he yelled at the figure.

The figure titled their head, as if pondering what he meant. It seemed to be his height, but as it took a few steps towards him, Noah realized that the figure was much taller than estimated. It rose its arms up, holding them in a T-like position. As it stepped closer, he noticed the black suit it wore and a black fedora covered its head.

''I'm warning you! Stay where you are!'' Noah yelled at the strange man.

 _''You will not bother us!''_

A deep raspy voice replied, causing him to freeze for a moment. He never heard anything like that. The figure stepped closer.

BANG!

Noah suddenly shot at it, firing several rounds at it. However, either he missed or the figure was immune to his bullets. He stopped firing, staring in horror as black tentacle-like appendages rose from the figure's back.

 _''I warned you.''_

Noah screamed as the creature lunged at him. He managed to turn around and run as he figure glared after him.

The chase had began.

 **xXx**

Ellen sighed as she looked through the window of the bus. A strong wind blew, causing the sky to blacken with dark clouds. She guessed that it would rain soon.

Even though she learned a few new things, she still felt that it wasn't enough. She knew that her grandmother didn't have all the answers, despite knowing more than other people. That's why Ellen shifted the topic to something else and talked with her grandmother until the end of visitation time. However, as she left, she still had one more question for her.

 _''Why would he want to keep me alive?'' Ellen asked. ''Why did he let me go?''_

 _''I don't know. He may have his own reasons,'' Rose shrugged. ''Even if the situation is not good, I'd still rather have you here instead of finding you hanging from a tree, completely dismembered. All I can guess is that he maybe wanted to stalk you a little longer.''_

Ellen turned around nervously, noticing how the bus was almost empty. Only her, a man in the back and a woman with a young boy remained. She looked through the window, noticing the familiar woods and a lone stop sign near the road that led to her hometown. Exiting the bus, she watched it as it disappeared from her sight. She was surprised that more people haven't left Arbor with what was going on. She guessed it was a small town-thing. What happens in a small town stays in a small town.

Instead of taking the road back to the town, Ellen walked a little, then steered into the Shadow Woods. She knew it was a suicidal thing to do, but she needed answers. The fact that nobody sane, nobody who was targeted by this creature, would enter the place just reinforced her decision.

The woods were quiet as usual. She was already used to the lack of animal activity. Animals could sense something strange long before a human would and they'd know what places to avoid if they wanted to live. Therefore, the more dead the woods felt, the closer she'd be to him.

The wind stopped blowing, but the air still felt cold. At first, Ellen didn't notice anything unusual (as unusual as it gets for this place), but as she went deeper, she could see that something wasn't right. There were rows of dirt, as if something was dragged through the ground, a stick or something. Several thin trees were knocked over with what could only be described as brute force. As Ellen looked around, she found a flashlight lying on the ground. She turned it on and shone on the path in front of her. Something was gleaming on the ground and as she came closer, she realized it were used bullets.

''He didn't-'' Her eyes widened in realization.

She quickly followed the trail, noticing more bullets on the ground. She saw footprints on the dirt. One step, two steps, three steps, blood- there was blood splattered on a broken tree trunk, as if someone dragged themselves over it.

She followed the bloody trail, finding a small pool on the ground. It ended here, in front of a tree. Ellen stared at a piece of paper pinned to it. It was the Tree Shadow, the words ''WATCHER'' written in red beneath him.

She felt something wet dripping on her cheek and wiped it. It was a red liquid. She looked above her, her eyes widening in horror.

Noah was hanging from the old tree, impaled on the branches. His guts were spread on the branches as if they were some sort of bizzare Christmas decoration.

She stepped back, almost falling over a huge root. She looked at it, seeing another body, their chest ripped open. Her flashlight landed on Brooke's glassy eyes, her expression still having the look of horror of what killed her.

Suddenly, it thundered, causing Ellen to fall on the ground. Her ears were ringing, the vision of the corpses imprinted in her brain.

There was rustling as the flashlight flickered and turned off.

A shadow was looming over her.

Watching.


	6. Breaking Point

Happy Halloween folks! As every year, I always tend to post something on this spooky day and aside from a chapter here, I also posted one over at my FNaF fanfic, **Five Nights at Freddy's: Salvaged.**

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Note 5**

 **Breaking Point**

Ellen was at the police station, having a blanket around her shoulders and a female officer, who took pity on her, brought her a cup of tea.

''Do you want me to call your parents?'' she asked. Ellen shook her head, feeling empty. The last person she wanted to talk to was her father. The officer shrugged and left her. Ellen didn't bother tell anyone about the paper in the pocket. There was a picture of two circles which were crossed. It said ''WATCHER''.

Ellen sighed, feeling the warmth of the cup pricking her fingers. The tea was hot, but at the same time, she didn't want to put it away. It felt like it was the only thing keeping her aware that this wasn't a nightmare, that this was real.

The female officer soon returned, along with a man in a semi-formal suit.

''We have found another body near your house,'' he said. ''It was one of the missing teens.''

He continued talking how he understands how hard it is for her, being involved into all this mess, but Ellen didn't pay any attention to his words. She just wanted to leave and go back home, even if she hated it. Eventually, a cop drove her back home. Her father wasn't home, with Ellen guessing that he was either at work or at the local pub, drinking all night.

She locked the door, even though she felt it was stupid considering how the creature stalking her wouldn't be stopped by a mere wooden door. She walked into her room…

BAM!

She almost jumped out of her skin as the door slammed. There was a draft in her room, as the window was wide open. She looked back at the door, noticing another note. It was a scribble of the creature holding hands with a little girl. It said ''DESIRE''.

Ellen took it down, sitting down on her bed. She now knew that the notes were directed towards her. The creature wanted something from her and was keeping watch over her. No one was safe as long as she was near. Then it hit her.

Slender Man only killed the people who bullied her. The reason why the detective may have fallen victim was because he was too curious for his own good, trying to confront something he did not understand. Then, there was Linda… Ellen simply couldn't figure out why he would take her as well. She was her best friend and never hurt her, even though she would behave sometimes in an odd manner. Given what Andy told her, perhaps she didn't know her friend at all.

Ellen sighed and stood up, closing the window. She suddenly froze as she saw _him_ standing in front of her house. He was barely visible, hidden between the trees. Tentacles rose on his back, spreading out like branches on a tree crown. He was wearing a black suit, a stark contrast with his pale skin (if that was his skin). A fedora hat was on his head, hiding his faceless expression.

He looked up, staring directly at her. Then, he slowly turned around, vanishing.

 **xXx**

Even though she felt like her limbs were made of lead, she managed to drag herself somehow to school the following morning. She noticed the students gossping, most of which glared at her. She knew that they were aware that she was involved into this, although not to which extent. However, there was no doubt they were blaming her for the disappearances.

She sighed as she stopped at her locker, lowering her head and taking a deep breath. She already suffered through enough bullying to know how to ignore people. She just had to get through the day. The teachers seemed to ignore her and she kept her head down, trying not to draw any attention. Still, whenever she lifted her head, she caught one of the students staring at her. If looks could kill…

Ellen sighed in relief as the bell rang. She just wanted to get out of this building as soon as possible, even thinking about skiving off the rest of the school day. However, something told her that it just might make her situation worse.

Without thinking, she walked into the girl's bathroom. There were three girls inside, one of which she recognized to be a girl Brooke tended to hang out with. They all glared at her, their voices lowering to whispers as they talked about her. Ellen ignored them, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She looked terrible, her skin pale and she had bags under her eyes. She did not sleep well last night.

 _''Look at her, pretends as if she doesn't know…''_

 _''The worst…''_

 _Ignore them!_ _ **Ignore them!**_

 _''Freak!''_

''If you haven't noticed, I can hear you,'' Ellen said angrily, turning to the three.

''Well, you should then!'' One of the girls confronted her. ''We all know that you hated Brooke and were jealous and…''

Ellen burst out laughing.

''Jealous of Brooke?! What were you _smoking_?''

''Ow, shut up!'' the girl yelled at her. ''I bet you were the one who-''

''What?'' Ellen growled, glaring at her. The girl cowered. It didn't help that Ellen was actually taller than her. The girl then scowled.

''I bet you hired someone to kidnap and hurt the-''

SLAP!

The girl cried out in pain as Ellen slapped her. Her friends stared at her in shock. Ellen felt furious, glaring at them. She had enough of everything. She grabbed her backpack, walking out of the bathroom. She suddenly heard a scream, but tried to ignore it. The voice belonged to the same girl and she knew she was causing a scene just to get back at her.

''Why me…'' she mumbled as a teacher ran over. The girl was yelling, accusing her of assault and telling the teacher how Ellen punched her and broke her nose or something like that, despite the fact that she only had a red cheek. Her friends joined in and people stopped walking, gawking at all the commotion.

Ellen tuned out their voices, knowing how the situation would turn out. The teacher sent her to the principal, who called her father. The girl and her friends continued telling them what a terrible person Ellen was and how she almost broke their bones. When the principal called her in, Ellen wanted to keep silent, not caring anymore about what would happen.

''She told me that you attacked her,'' he asked. ''Care to explain your behavior?''

''She insulted me and I slapped her. Then she started making a scene,'' Ellen muttered.

''So you did assault her?''

''Only because she provoked me…''

''You slapped her?''

''She insulted me.''

''I cannot tolerate that kind of behavior in my school,'' the principal stood up. ''You'll be suspended for the rest of the week. I hope that will teach you a lesson.''

Ellen merely glared at him. She grabbed her backpack, marching out of the office.

 _They don't care about me. Why should I care about them?_

The situation didn't get better when she exited the school building. A truck was waiting in front of the school, a man with shaggy black hair, a dirty shirt and 5 o'clock shadow was waiting for her. He looked furious.

 _Damn it!_

 **xXx**

''SUSPENDED! I can't even believe it! What was on your mind?!''

Ellen was sitting on the chair in the kitchen, her father screaming at her. He smelled of beer and cigarettes. She just stared at the floor.

''Are you even listening to me?!''

''I-''

SLAP!

''Do not give me that look!''

Ellen lowered her head, not daring to put her hand on her burning cheek.

''You're disrespectful! You should be happy I didn't consider kicking you out of the house! All those years I've been caring about you and this is how you thank me?!''

Ellen's vision was blurry. Tears formed, flowing down her cheeks.

''Oh, now you're crying? How dare you-?!''

''SHUT UP!''

Ellen screamed at her father, jumping on her feet. She glared at him, seething with rage. She didn't want to put up with this anymore.

''You never cared about me!'' she screamed. ''Don't ever pretend you did!''

''How dare you to speak in that tone to me?!'' Her father attempted to grab her wrist.

''Leave me ALONE!'' Ellen managed pull her hand out of his grip, stepping towards the exit. ''I wish you would BURN in Hell!''

She then ran out of the house and into the woods. She had to get away from her father, from everyone. Even though the woods were dangerous, they were still her sanctuary.

 **xXx**

''This is a bad idea,'' Linda said as she and Ellen walked through the woods. Both were 12 at the time.

''There's nothing to be afraid of,'' Ellen replied. ''I know this place and we are not far from my house. It is great.''

''I have my doubts,'' Linda said dryly. ''You know that my parents are against us playing in the woods. Mom always goes on and on about bears, wolves and other dangerous animals…''

''There are no bears here,'' Ellen replied. ''Also, you'd be in bigger danger of being mauled by a hippo rather than a bear.''

''How do you know that?''

''I watch NatGeo.''

''Then what about those people who got lost in the woods?''

''Linda, you're with me. I've been playing in these woods my whole life,'' Ellen said as she jumped over a fallen tree. ''Besides, as long as you respect-''

''Blah, blah...'' Linda sat on the log. ''You've been telling me this all the time and believe me, I have a good memory. Also, there's that, whatever you're calling it.''

''The Tree Shadow,'' Ellen said.

''Yeah. How do you know it won't hurt us?''

''How long have we been coming to this place?''

''Ellen, I'm serious.''

''Me too. You said you have a good memory. Then you'll realize that nothing ever happened to us. It is obvious that we must be doing something right if we never got into trouble.''

''Well, that makes sense,'' Linda said sarcastically.

''Anyways, here we are,'' Ellen said, pointing at a small clearning. It was surrounded by bushes, being well hidden under a tree with thick branches. ''We could build a tree house here and nobody would find us.''

''Honestly, I don't like this,'' Linda said as she was inspecting the place.

''Why not? It's perfect!'' Ellen crossed her arms.

''To you, maybe. But I have a bad feeling,'' Linda said. ''Why don't we just take our roller-skates and go to the park?''

''But…'' Ellen trailed off. She frowned. ''Linda, I don't like going to the park. There are always so many people there, including our classmates. You know how they act when I'm around. Remember last week?''

''You did get that juice of your shirt, right?'' Linda asked.

''No. I had to throw it away,'' Ellen replied. She remembered how she and Linda walked through the park when they ran into a few of their classmates. While Linda had a nice conversation with them, one of the girls ''accidentally'' spilled her grape juice on Ellen's brand new shirt. Her father also yelled at her for runining the shirt, despite it not being her fault. She tried to explain, but no one would listen.

''I need to go back,'' Linda suddenly said, looking at her watch. ''Mom wanted me to go to the store. Are you coming?''

''I actually wanted to stay a little longer-''

''Well, I guess I can find my own way back,'' Linda shrugged. ''See ya!''

''Bye!'' Ellen sighed, watching her friend leave.

She then looked around, listening to the rustle of the leaves. Aside from that, it was really quiet, as if the forest was devoid of birds and other animals. While most people would be freaked out by this, Ellen wasn't. She liked the silence. This was her world, after all, a place she felt safe. She could do here whatever she wanted and never got into trouble. She was far away from the people she hated, far away from the world that considered her a troublemaker.

She sat down beneath a tree, closing her eyes. The sun's rays were flickering as a light breeze blew. It was just perfect for relaxing.

Then, there was dead silence.

Ellen opened her eyes suddenly. Did she imagine it or were there even more branches on the tree than before? It looked like they were growing, but it might've just been a trick of her mind. It was growing dark after all. Ellen suddenly felt dizzy, a chilling feeling creeping down her spine.

This was her sanctuary, yet it was also _his_ territory and if he didn't want her here... Well, there was a reason why people who went into the woods never appeared again.

 **xXx**

Teenage Ellen found the exact same spot she discovered years ago. She was in disbelief that she could still remember it so vividly. She looked at the tree, noticing an X shaped carving at the same height she was when she was 12. She herself made it, wanting to mark her secret spot. However, she never came back.

Ellen sat down, taking a deep breath. She wiped her tears, wanting to cry. However, she couldn't. She felt hollow inside, devoid of any emotion. She couldn't cry anymore, she couldn't scream. It was so frustrating, yet she felt so helpless, unable to move on.

''Perhaps, the world is better off without me…'' she muttered to herself. ''At least they won't have anyone to complain about.''

She looked up, noticing, to her surprise, a note pinned on the branch.

''What the-''

She stood up, trying to reach the note. It was rather high up, but she managed to snatch it. She looked around, wondering whether someone was watching her. It wouldn't surprise her.

Biting her lip, she opened the note. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw a stick figure covered in what looked like flames.

 _FIRE_

''No way…'' she muttered, looking frantically around. ''Are you here? What is the meaning of this?''

She looked upwards, noticing dark clouds through the thick tree crowns. Although, they were moving weirdly. The smell of smoke hit her. Those weren't clouds.

''No.'' Ellen ran towards her house, the smoke on the sky becoming thicker and thicker. The smell also became stronger. ''No, please not!''

She felt that it was getting hotter. Finally, she saw it. The flames were engulfing her house.


End file.
